Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to firearms, and more specifically it relates to a device to assist an individual in moving (or “racking”) the slide of a semi-automatic pistol in order to place a single round of ammunition into the firing chamber of the pistol or to remove a single round of ammunition (whether fired or unfired) from the chamber.
Description of Prior Art
The present invention discloses a device to be used with a semi-automatic pistol. A semi-automatic pistol utilizes a magazine which holds multiple rounds of ammunition; once the pistol is loaded with a single round of ammunition being placed into the firing chamber, the trigger can be pulled and the ammunition is fired. The cartridge of the fired round is then automatically extracted and ejected from the firing chamber and the next round of ammunition is loaded from the magazine into the firing chamber, ready to be fired. This cycle continues until the magazine is empty of ammunition.
However, in order to begin this cycle the first round of ammunition must be moved into the firing chamber manually. This is accomplished by the manual movement of the slide of the pistol. The slide of a pistol is a spring-loaded mechanism located on the top of the pistol. It is designed, in part, to remove and eject any ammunition cartridge currently in the firing chamber (whether fired or unfired) and to bring a new ammunition round from the magazine into the firing chamber in anticipation of firing. This is done by a user manually drawing the slide in a rearward direction relative to the frame of the pistol. Once the slide has been moved rearward to a point of mechanical stop, i.e., is “racked”, any ammunition cartridge currently in the firing chamber is ejected and a single round of ammunition is moved into the firing chamber from the magazine. The slide is then moved forward relative to the frame of the pistol by the action of the spring mechanism, returning the slide to its original position, with the pistol being ready for firing. The pistol can continue to fire without re-racking the slide until all of the rounds in the magazine have been fired. The slide is also used to clear the firing chamber of ammunition cartridges, for example, where a round of ammunition fails to fire or becomes stuck, whether or not there are ammunition rounds still in the magazine.
The device of the present invention is intended to solve a problem faced by individuals who have difficulty racking the slide of a pistol. Depending on the type of pistol, the amount of force that is required to draw the slide rearward to a sufficient degree to chamber a round of ammunition or to eject an ammunition cartridge can be quite substantial. Together with the fact that the slide typically has few features available onto which a user may get a strong grip, racking a slide can be extremely difficult. Users who have small hands, older users who have lost strength in their grip, arthritis sufferers, disabled persons, and many others may not be able to grip and move the slide of many popular types of pistols without great difficulty.
There have been several attempts to solve the problem of difficulty in racking a slide. For example, a patent issued to Daniel Musgrave, U.S. Pat. No. 4,043,065 (“Pistol Charging Socket”), on Aug. 23, 1977, provides for a holster with a hole. The barrel of the pistol is placed into the holster and through the hole, and then the pistol is forced downward by the user. Since the diameter of the hole is smaller than the width of the slide, the slide is moved rearward relative to the rest of the pistol as the pistol moves downward into the holster. This device, though, requires the holster to be affixed to the user, and during the act of racking the slide the holster tends to move about and the barrel of the pistol may be directed towards the user's leg, raising safety concerns. Also, pistols with full length guide rods cannot be used with this device. A patent issued to Moshe Oz, U.S. Pat. No. 8,312,803 (“Semi Automatic Pistol Slide Pull”), on Nov. 20, 2012, provides for a small plate to be placed onto the rear of the slide. The plate has a pair of lateral flanges and a central aperture. The plate is placed over the rear sight of the pistol, which typically is attached to the slide, with the rear sight extending through the central aperture. To rack the slide the user pulls on one or both of the lateral flanges, drawing the slide rearward. However, as the slide is moved by the plate pushing against the rear sight, this may cause damage to the sight, or misalignment. It is also prone to slipping off the pistol. A patent application filed by Chris McAninch, U.S. application Ser. No. 13/433,837 (“Handgun Charging System”), on Mar. 29, 2012, provides a small body fitted over the front portion of the pistol's barrel and slide. Interior to the body are a pair of channels, one large enough to accommodate the front end of the slide and the other, forward channel large enough to accommodate the barrel but too small to accommodate the end of the slide. The forward surface of the body is then placed against an object, such as a table top or a wall, and the body (and pistol) is pushed against the object. The slide remains stationary within the large channel of the body while the rest of the pistol moves forward, thereby causing a rearward movement of the slide relative to the pistol, thus racking the slide. This device, though, must be used against an object, and cannot be moved by the user's free hand.
The foregoing illustrates that there is a need for a device to assist a user with the movement of a pistol slide that overcomes the shortfalls of the prior art.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a device that can assist a user with the movement of a pistol slide by providing a body that can increase the gripping ability of the user.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a device that can assist a user with the movement of a pistol slide by providing a body that can increase the user's leverage when moving the slide.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a device that can assist a user with the movement of a pistol slide by providing a body that can be held in a user's hand while the pistol is held in the user's other hand.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a device that can assist a user with the movement of a pistol slide by providing a body that can be placed onto the slide of a pistol without placing stress on the front or rear sights of the pistol.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a device that can assist a user with the movement of a pistol slide by providing a body that allows ammunition cartridges to be ejected from the firing chamber during the racking of the slide.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a device that can assist a user with the movement of a pistol slide by providing a body that is light weight.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a device that can assist a user with the movement of a pistol slide by providing a body that can be inexpensively manufactured.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a device that can assist a user with the movement of a pistol slide by providing a body that can be easily and quickly operated by the user in a safe, controlled manner.
Various other objects, features and attendant advantages of the present invention will become obvious to the reader and become fully appreciated as the same becomes better understood when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It is intended that these objects and advantages are within the scope of the present invention. To the accomplishment of the above and related objects, this invention may be embodied in the form illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Attention being called to the fact, however, that the drawings are illustrative only, and that changes may be made in the specific construction illustrated and described within the scope of this application.